Podcast
Journeys of Discovery
At the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), we want to open up the world of music and performance to as many people as possible. We know that it’s a world that can sometimes feel like a mysterious, secret place. Our podcast series can help dispel some of the myths and mysteries.
What really makes a performance happen? What does the RPO’s management do? What motivates and interests our musicians? How does orchestral music speak differently to people in society with different experiences of life?
Our podcast Journeys of Discovery takes a broader look at the role of music and creativity for individuals and society – a reflection of the spirit of journeying and adventure that characterises our concerts.
Journeys of Discovery: Change Makers x RPO
Journeys of Discovery is a collaboration with Seven Hills BPI. It extends themes previously explored in a series of concerts of the same name, and invites well-known figures from various walks of life to share how music has shaped their lives and careers.
The series is presented by Michael Hayman and produced in collaboration with Change Makers. This is a podcast for people interested in exploring what makes passionate and successful people tick, what empowers them to bring change into the world, and what role music can play in those processes.
Episode 7 – Anya Hindmarch
Confidence, creativity and the power of doubt
In this episode of Change Makers, Michael Hayman is joined by designer and author Anya Hindmarch. A defining voice in British fashion, Anya brings a lifelong love of music to her creative life.
Recorded at Cadogan Hall in collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Anya reflects on starting her business at 19, the craftsmanship and curiosity that drive her, and why self-doubt can be a surprising source of strength.
Listen to the specially-curated playlist that accompanies the podcast.
Episode 6 – Cathy Newman
From Strings to Stories
Cathy Newman is a leading broadcast journalist best known for her work on Channel 4 News. But she is also an accomplished violinist. From a childhood spark – a stray violin brought home during a bout of chickenpox – to performing in the parliamentary string quartet Statutory Instruments, music has remained a constant companion for Cathy.
Journalism may have become Cathy’s stage, but here she reflects on the rhythm, focus, and listening required by both news-making and music. In this podcast episode, recorded at the Royal Albert Hall, Cathy reflects on her early musical experiences, the challenges of being a woman in the media, and her advocacy for music education through Music for All. Along the way, she shows how passion, perseverance, and listening deeply – whether to a piece of music or a person – can shape life and work.
Listen to the specially curated playlist that accompanies the podcast.
Episode 5 – Min Kym
On musical love, loss, and growing up a child prodigy
In this episode, Michael Hayman sits down with internationally renowned violinist and author Min Kym – a former child prodigy who found her voice through the violin. Min shares the extraordinary story of her deep connection to music, from growing up in a traditional South Korean home to the devastating theft of her beloved Stradivarius violin in London.
Min reflects on the pressures of early success, the identity crisis that followed the loss of her instrument and how she ultimately found her way back to music. She and Michael discuss the profound relationship that exists between a musician and the instrument they play, the emotional weight of life as an artist, the reality of perfectionism and the process of catharsis Min experienced while writing her memoir Gone: A Girl, a Violin, a Life Unstrung. Recorded at the RPO’s principal performance venue in London, Cadogan Hall, this is a conversation about music, talent, and what it takes to begin again.
Listen to the specially curated playlist that accompanies the podcast.
Episode 4 – Petroc Trelawny
Tracing steps through music
In this episode of Journeys of Discovery, Michael Hayman talks to Petroc Trelawny, classical music broadcaster and the voice of BBC Radio 3’s Breakfast programme.
Petroc reflects on the influence of music and music performance, classical and otherwise, on identity and emotions and on his own life. He also discusses his new book, Trelawny’s Cornwall – part history, part memoir, and an exploration of the past, present and future of the beloved and highly individual English county.
Listen to the specially curated playlist that accompanies the podcast.
Episode 3 – George Clarke
Making a home
Michael Hayman is joined by George Clarke – architect, lecturer, writer and broadcaster, best known for his work with Channel 4, including The Restoration Man and George Clarke's Amazing Spaces.
George grew up on a Sunderland council estate and was inspired to become an architect after spending summers on building sites with his grandfather. While studying at the University of Newcastle’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, and at London’s Bartlett School of Architecture, George supported himself by renovating people’s homes in his spare time. He later turned his attention to broadcasting, developing and fronting a series of programmes that demonstrate the opportunity of space and the vital importance of the home.
Episode 2 – Katy Emck
Making a home
In the second episode of the Journeys of Discovery podcast, we meet founding director of Fine Cell Work, Katy Emck. She speaks to Michael Hayman about how she is helping to transform the lives of prisoners and ex-prisoners through needlework. The theme of the podcast is one of redemption and freedom.
Prisons can be ‘places of soul, spirit and connection’, says Katy. Rather than carrying out their sentences ‘full of rage and self-hate’, prisoners should be permitted to embark on a journey of ‘self-understanding and self-acceptance’. Through needlework, Fine Cell Work is opening one of the few doors of opportunity available to prisoners – allowing them both a glimpse of freedom, and a chance for redemption.
Episode 1 – Kamal Ahmed
Awakening
In the first podcast of the Journeys of Discovery: Change Makers x RPO series, Michael Hayman meets Kamal Ahmed, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The News Movement.
The theme of the discussion is awakening, with revelatory music by Richard Wagner, Edvard Grieg and Richard Strauss aiding the conversation. Hear Kamal talk about his work and life, reflect on meaning and take us into the world of his outstanding memoir, The Life and Times of a Very British Man. Expect a very personal take on the concept of a journey to discovery.
With special thanks to our audio partners at RØDE whose equipment was used to record this podcast.
Thank you to the BBC for providing the soundtrack, Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra performed by the RPO and Vasily Petrenko and recorded live in London at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall.